Contributed by danperrone. Posted by Justin on Monday, February 13, 2006 at 7:00 PM (EST)

Dan Perrone was recently stranded on a desert island for several eternities with Nathan Grey of Boy Sets Fire, and decided to spend the time interviewing him about his band. At least, that's what I can gather from the gargantuan length of our interview here.

Please state your name, what you do in the band, and your astrological sign.

Nathan: I‚??m Nathan, I sing, and I‚??m a Gemini.

First off, I want to hear from your mouth about the events that transpired in Sayreville, New Jersey on November 18th and not only about the events, but about how you truly felt as they transpired.

Oh, Lord [laughs]. Well, we‚??ve been dealing with it ever since, apparently! Actually, after I answer this I‚??m never answering questions on this issue again! We‚??re just trying to let it go because it‚??s going to end up turning into some stupid kind of bullshit, but yeah, said band played first; no, they played second or something, I don‚??t know when the fuck they went on, I was just watching it, you know? A bunch of fights were breaking out and all that stuff and there was the "tough guy" / "faggot" this and that, among other things, and you know what? I don‚??t really give a fuck about that, whatever. It‚??s sort of laughable, it‚??s like "Okay, you‚??re tough, you said ‚??faggot,‚?? um, great, whatever, nobody cares anymore," but the problem was that their friends were there fighting kids and stuff like that, and the thing that really got me was that they were instigating it from the stage. It shows a lack of respect for the other bands, a lack of respect for the club, the fans that came to see not only them but the other bands there, and we‚??re just not down with that kind of shit, you know what I mean? And we said something about it, and it apparently got us in a lot of trouble. But there were a lot of miscommunications and misunderstandings as to what happened exactly, because you know we got a lot of shit about like "Oh, you guys started this fight" and actually, I said something, and then one of our roadies told me that they were outside waiting for us, and that‚??s when I started all the fight talk. If there‚??s no avoiding this, then okay, let‚??s do it. I wasn‚??t planning on fighting anybody; I was just planning on saying my piece. The only thing that I do regret is that I kinda wish I had just gone up to them and said something instead of saying it on stage. I think that that wasn‚??t the best way to go about it. That‚??s what probably started a lot of hostility, because not that it would have avoided a fight, but maybe I could have avoided some of the hostility if I had just gone up there and been like "Guys, that fucking sucked. That was ridiculous. Why did you do that?" on stage. But I have no apologies for what I actually said, you know what I mean? It was true; it was bullshit and it had to be called out.

We were the rednecks of emo.

You know, there are a ton of rumors flying around about that whole thing, like how apparently you guys are against violence, yet challenged Years Spent Cold to a fight.

Untrue. We were not the first to challenge a fight, unless I am mistaken about how this transpired on stage. I said what I said and a couple songs later, our roadies told me that Years Spent Cold and their friends were waiting outside to fight us...so, I said fine, and basically accepted the challenge. I told the audience if they would like to come out with me, and take care of this, it‚??s their scene and not mine; but I am going out there and taking care of business. Then someone in From Autumn to Ashes called the
cops. End of story. For the record, we are not against violence; we are against violence for no reason, or for reasons we find to be stupid.

A lot of those kids are also bringing up how you guys demanded 500 bucks to play the Matt Leveton benefit in New Jersey. What‚??s the story behind this?

Also untrue...at the time, we had no transportation, we were working construction and couldn‚??t get off, or afford to get off at such short notice. We said that in order to do it, it would take too much money (possibly 500 dollars), but that we would rather just not do the show, because it seems unfair to have to ask for that. Us and the promoter tried to work it out, but when it came down to it, we didn‚??t feel right about taking the money we would need, so we declined. We also stated that, if possible, we would be more than happy to do another benefit for him once we got our shit together. We still would, if asked.

Don‚??t forget, you also love to tell child molestation jokes on stage, right?

Untrue! It‚??s not that I like to, I just can‚??t help it. Did you hear the one about the ten-year-old boy in the woods? Me neither.

So are you guys really a bunch of AIDS-ridden faggots that only stop sucking dick for long enough to talk shit?

Um‚?¶[laughs]. Yeah, this one‚??s true. You caught us. Anybody up for some butt fucking?

How is the current scene in comparison to the scene ten years ago when Boy Sets Fire first started?

You know, I have no idea. It always seems relatively the same with a couple of changes here and there, but I mean, everybody sorta still looks alike. It still looks the same as it did then; everybody‚??s still wearing the same band shirts and hardcore clothes. I mean, the hardcore uniform has been hoodies and jeans for a pretty long time. The only thing that‚??s changed as far as I can see is the popularity of the music; now you got bands and stuff on MTV, when before, bands like that weren‚??t even looked at. But it‚??s just another market just like anything else in some ways. Oh well, what are you gonna do, you know what I mean? You just keep doing what you love to do and you don‚??t really worry about other bands and the scene and whatnot. The only things that we worry about are the things that actually matter to us, like violence in the scene, or like dumb bullshit, like 200 people being scared of 20. I mean, that‚??s retarded, just fucking retarded. At some point you gotta look around and be like, "Hey wait a second, there‚??s like 200 of us, what the fuck are we doing?" That‚??s actually what‚??s happened in the past in great revolutions, when people go "Wait, there‚??s only ten of them." And then off go their heads! That‚??s just how it works.

Have you noticed that the way you have to handle things and approach certain business aspects changed, especially given the political stance of your band, as the bar gets raised continuously by bands that just keep getting bigger and bigger? Does the popularity of the scene make it harder to get through?

Yes and no. Sometimes it just happens, like if you work your ass, you‚??ll make something out of yourself. And it also depends on where you think the bar is set in terms of popularity and success is. As far as I‚??m concerned, if I can do this and be able to make enough and pay my rent and eat, I‚??m set, you know? I have a car. I would take more, but I‚??m not gonna work at it. We do what we do and hopefully it works. We do try to combine a lot of our politics into how we do things, like T-shirt sales. You‚??ll notice our shirts, most of them are made by the Allure company, American Apparel, stuff like that, because you don‚??t see much of it. It actually started like five to seven years ago when people were actually giving us shit like "That stuff is made in Taiwan by slaves" and at first we were like 'fuck you,' but then we were like "Nah, they actually got a point." So we take great strides to make sure that that stuff doesn‚??t happen anymore. I don‚??t know if that had anything to do with your question [laughs].

So The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years drops in just about a month. How excited are you guys?

Oh, fucking stoked. I‚??m just excited to play new songs. Thank God! People will know new songs! It‚??s not the same fucking songs over and over again! Maybe we can use some other song to start off the set besides "After the Eulogy?"

Well, you closed with it in Sayreville!

That‚??s right! Well, I think we‚??re opening with it tonight.

You know, some people on the website are actually complaining that some legendary band called Assuck, ten years ago, released a CD called The Misery Index.

You know, there‚??s also a band called the Misery Index. And I don‚??t give a shit. It‚??s really funny because it‚??s not like they made it up; there‚??s a reason why they named it that. But yeah, no one has a patent on it.

How is the new album similar or different from your previous work?

I think one of the similarities is that we got back to some of the diversity of The Day the Sun Went Out and a lot more of the passion of After the Eulogy, but then there‚??s sort of the maturity of the newer stuff without the [clears throat] shitty production.

N√ľ-metal guitar tones!

Yeah [laughs]. We got rid of that, but it was unfortunate because I think there were a lot of good songs on that album, but it got destroyed by Jay Baumgardner, and fuck that motherfucker.

It seems like the new album is more of a team effort, like everyone totally clicked on this one.

It was great doing this album because we had no pressure from the last album [laughs]. It‚??s only going up from here! But it was rough after After the Eulogy‚?¶wow, that sucked to say.

Well, that‚??s because we self-produced it too, and when you‚??re in a situation where everyone is fucking miserable, you tend to lock together. You tend to sort of circle the wagons. It was a very unifying experience, and I guess it made for that kind of an album.

Do you notice that after the reviews that came in for After the Eulogy, where it‚??s compared to albums like The Shape of Punk to Come and albums at that level that there‚??s more pressure on you guys when recording a new album?

Oh, absolutely. It was great doing this album because we had no pressure from the last album [laughs]. It‚??s only going up from here! But it was rough after After the Eulogy‚?¶wow, that sucked to say. It was difficult because people had expectations, but no matter what, people have stupid fucking expectations about us. And seriously, like now even with the new album and stuff, with "Requiem" it‚??s like "What the fuck, you guys pussed out!" and it‚??s like, it‚??s one fucking song! Are you kidding me? Have you never heard our band? There‚??s like four to five heavy songs on every album, and the rest are sorta like rock or pop, or somewhere in between there, you know what I mean? Why don‚??t you wait for the album to come out there, Jethro, before you start freaking out! People just bug the fuck out about the dumbest shit. "Well, this isn‚??t the Boy Sets Fire that I know!" Well, I don‚??t know what you were listening to then!

One song on the new album that stands out to me lyrically is "(10) And Counting." It sounds like shit got pretty rough for you guys.

It was a terrible point where we‚??re breaking down almost every other day. We were stuck in Arizona for like two weeks when we broke down once. We went for that same two weeks without showering and stuff; we went into a Denny‚??s and there were flies circling around our heads -- it was disgusting. We would dine and ditch most of the time. We would find certain places and have an escape plan and everything, or like go into the supermarkets and steal food, like peanut butter and bread. It was a rough time. I remember one tour, for like three days, all we had to eat was a can of peanut butter. It was a little rough. But that was a unifying period for us. It‚??s what made the band what it was. Fond memories; I don‚??t want to go back to them, but they‚??re fond memories.

There are a lot of songs lyrically, "(10) And Counting" is one of them, "Loser of the Year Award" is another, that seem to sort of defend your place as musicians and what you‚??re doing in life. I know you had a lot of trouble with labels, but do you guys find that there‚??s not that much in the way of support from other people in your lives?

Well, it used to not be. Now that we‚??re doing better, we‚??re getting a lot more approval from family and stuff like that: "Oh, you‚??re making money? Okay, great!" Thanks, Mom! Now you love it, when before I leave for two weeks and I‚??m broke and‚?¶[trails off] and she‚??s like "Why are you doing this?" Now the only complaint from my Dad is "Why do you have to say ‚??fuck‚?? all the time?" [laughs] It‚??s pretty funny.

Also, in "(10) And Counting" I noticed you guys sort of glorify drinking a little bit and not necessarily just drinking but as a bonding experience, and coming from the period that you guys did where bands like Earth Crisis really‚?¶

Oh yeah, we got so much shit for that.

And it just surprised me, because obviously you guys aren‚??t edge, but it just surprised me to hear that.

Let me tell you, back in the day when the hardcore scene was vegan and straight-edge, even farther back before Earth Crisis, being vegan and straight-edge was the thing. We were the rednecks of emo at that point. Like seriously, we would walk in with beers, smoking cigarettes, cursing like sailors and people would be like "What the fuck is this? You guys are a political band? Oh my God!" They went completely out of their minds and had no idea what to do with us, and it‚??s been that way ever since. It just so happens that the scene has changed to the point where we sort of just started fitting in. Everybody drinks and stuff now. But we were never like PC; to outsiders that were farther on the right, we were very PC, but in the scene, we were the biggest redneck assholes ever. We would play and drink and smoke and it‚??s always just been like that and it‚??s funny because it‚??s a common misconception from other bands that I won‚??t mention that think we‚??re this pussy emo band that they can push around. No names needed I‚??m sure. We‚??ve run into that problem several times in different states where they‚??re like "You pussy emo fuckers!" Oh yeah? Really? [punches hand, laughs] We don‚??t fuck around, you know what I mean? I think it‚??s just funny because it was a really weird time period where it was just like‚?¶we‚??d sit in on like these political discussions and we‚??d sit in on them and talk because they‚??d have these workshops and shit where people talk about politics and stuff, and people had no idea where we were coming from. They were just like‚?¶"Really?" Because now we look like the most crazed, leftist anarchists in the world and at the time we were just some asshole rednecks. We weren‚??t severe enough at the time, I don‚??t know.

Another song on the new album that stands out to me is "Deja Coup," not only for the different sound but also for the satirical lyrics‚?¶did you guys feel the need to write a departure on the album, or were you just messing around with different sounds?

Well, this whole album was an experiment. We were going into new fields where we hadn‚??t been. And also, with "(10) And Counting" and "Deja Coup" we did to an extent try to take off the edge because when people meet us, it‚??s a lot different from what they think we‚??re gonna be, because they hear the music and they think we‚??re gonna be like reading Chomsky and playing "Name That Anarchist" on the bus. So I think in a way there was a need to show another side and be like "No, we joke around a lot, actually‚?¶we‚??re sort of pricks."

One last song-specific question, the song "Social Register Fanclub" and the line about "the last five years"‚?¶I know it‚??s a touchy subject, but is that about Rob Avery leaving the band?

No, but it‚??s really funny, because the other dudes in the band were like "Is this about Rob?" No, but I‚??m glad everybody thinks so highly of him! I won‚??t even start with that. But it is about the elitist bullshit that goes on in the scene and people that think they are better than other people because of their style of music. It‚??s fucking music. Are you kidding me? That is the dumbest fucking shit I have ever heard in my life.

Speaking of the different sounds, there are a lot of sound effects and cool little vocal things on the new album and‚?¶actually, I don‚??t even know where I was going with this, it was more of a compliment. I like the vocals!

Okay! Sweet! [laughs]

I‚??ve noticed a change in the way you scream from After the Eulogy to Tomorrow Come Today and back to the new album, where After the Eulogy is more of like a yell and Tomorrow Come Today is almost more of a throatier, deeper scream. Is that conscious or does it just work out that way?

Yup, it‚??s conscious. It‚??s just change. You get bored. You want to reinvent what you‚??re doing; I don‚??t think I‚??ll go back to the Tomorrow Come Today sort of stuff because it was too much like‚?¶[growls deeply], you know? I mean, it was a little dumb, I‚??ll just say it right now, it was a little stupid. Don‚??t shake your fucking head! I‚??m just kidding!!! [uproarious laughter] We were talking about Baumgardner already! [throws chair down, gets in fighting stance] Let me pick that up. It‚??s the roids! Every once in a while I just freak out. But on the new one even with the music, we were just trying to reinvent our heavy style. It was just like, let‚??s do something sort of new. Let‚??s just make it sound insane. Instead of trying to make it tough, let‚??s just make it sounds like someone‚??s going fucking nuts. It‚??s just a pissed off sounding record.

At the very end of "A Far Cry," you guys re-did "Still Waiting for the Punchline." Any reason for that particular song?

Because we started doing it live. We were playing around with it one day and we did sort of that lighter version and we were like "Oh! We like this!," so we started playing it live, and then we were like "Why don‚??t we put it on the record?" We wanted to add an extra track, so we sort of just reinvented that as well. Plus the piano part is so fucking good!

And that kind of stuff is what makes the new album so good! You guys executed all of the little things perfectly, and it all comes together and the result is just this awesome fucking record.

Yup. Thanks!

After releasing what was unfortunately called a disappointment in Tomorrow Come Today, do you feel like the stakes are higher concerning this new record?

Oh yeah, absolutely, but I‚??m totally not scared because I think this record is gonna do it. The response has been real good so far, here and in Europe, everyone‚??s been flipping out about it, so I‚??m excited.

Has the label transition been smooth?

Absolutely; it‚??s gotta be smooth, we moved to a better label!

Equal Vision is pretty much the hot spot right now -- a lot of the bands that they are picking up are jumping up to majors now, like Coheed and Cambria... Do you feel like you guys are going to get a push or that you‚??ll just be able to move up in the ranks a little bit? I mean, a lot of the kids that are entering the scene now... You guys have sort of been away for a few years; will the new label really help you in terms of getting recognition or just getting your name out?

I think in general it‚??s a better idea for us to be on Equal Vision. They love us, we love them, we‚??ve gotten along for years, and we‚??ve been friends for a while. And it was really funny, we were in negotiations with labels and we were just like "Why didn‚??t we ask Equal Vision?" and I called him up and was like "Uhh, Dan, wanna sign us?" and Dan was like "Uhh, yeah!" It was great. Very easy.

And they had put out stuff of yours in the past, like the split with Snapcase.

Oh yeah, and they‚??ve always done our merch and stuff like that, so it was an easy thing to do.

How about the video for "Requiem?" How did that go, and do you see it getting play on FUSE or MTV2?

Yeah, I think it will. I know it‚??s getting sent to MTV and Europe Monday, because, ya know‚?¶we‚??re bigger in Europe than we are here! We‚??ll see what happens. I think it will get on there, but I don‚??t know how long it‚??s gonna last. Who knows? You never know, and that‚??s the thing about being in a band: You have to keep doing the best you can and you can‚??t really expect anything. I like to not expect anything, because if things go well it‚??s awesome and if it doesn‚??t then yeah, okay, cool.

How would you respond to a fan that says something like "You know what? Boy Sets Fire signed to Creed‚??s record label, they put out a shitty record, I don‚??t wanna listen to them anymore, fuck them?" How do you respond to stuff like that?

I don‚??t care. I have no response to anybody like that. If you‚??re that fucking pissed off about a rock band, you have worse issues than this. Go see a psychiatrist; I don‚??t need to talk to you. If you‚??re that bent, then hey, go seek help.

How different is it playing overseas than over here?

We‚??re bigger over there. I think that people here are a lot more fickle. We wouldn‚??t tour for like two years. In Europe, they‚??re used to not seeing you for two years at a time. In the U.S. though, it‚??s completely different, like you have to be out in the public eye every fucking day or people will forget you immediately. But in Europe, they‚??re used to not seeing bands for so long, so we kept building in Europe while we were going downhill here. But it‚??s great! We‚??re basically doing a European tour to help fund our U.S. tour, and we‚??re starting from the ground up again and see what happens.

If you have five minutes with President Bush face to face with no repercussions, what would you say to him?

Five minutes alone, what would I say to him‚?¶you know, I wish I had a really good answer to that one, and honestly I could go into this big tangent about what I would say and my big political beliefs and all this shit, but honestly, I don‚??t know what I‚??d fucking say. I might just be like "You‚??re a fucking douchebag" and walk out. I don‚??t even know!

You could just say that for five minutes!

Yeah! Yoooooouuuu aaaaaareeeee aaa fuuuu‚?¶

Slow enough for him to get it?

Yeah! Or maybe just bitch-slap him or something? You said no repercussions! Yeah, I‚??m sorry, I really should have a better answer for that one.

Any favorites for `08 in the Presidential election?

Five minutes alone, what would I say to [President Bush] ‚?¶you know, I wish I had a really good answer to that one, and honestly I could go into this big tangent about what I would say and my big political beliefs and all this shit, but honestly, I don‚??t know what I‚??d fucking say. I might just be like "You‚??re a fucking douchebag" and walk out. I don‚??t even know!

You know, I‚??d really love to see Howard Dean run again. I think he didn‚??t get his shot and I think that sucks. I‚??m not much for any President in particular, but the thing that sucks is how you can destroy a man‚??s career because of one yell. Are you kidding me? The dude got excited and he yelled! The dude basically said "yee-haw" and everybody was like "Oh he‚??s crazy!!!" It‚??s not like he‚??s Ross Perot! He wasn‚??t up there like [in Southern accent] "Now you can pull fried chicken out of a chicken‚??s ass but you can‚??t‚?¶" [insert unintelligible but hysterical Southern-type rambling]. Come on! He yelled and it destroyed his career! At least he had something good to say. But you know, it‚??s gonna be the same bullshit over and over.

I know this is a tad dated, but do you applaud or condemn someone like Kanye West for doing what he did on national television?

Honestly, I totally back it, because it was so fucking honest. The blank look in his eyes, I‚??m serious, it was the most honest political commentary I‚??ve ever seen. And in that situation, I‚??m sure he‚??s scared shitless. And Mike Myers was just priceless. Cut to Chris Tucker!! He did like a double take like "What the fuck did that motherfucker say!! Oh my God I‚??m standing up here next to him! Oh my God, I have nothing to do with this!! Do I say I agree? I‚??m white, I‚??m white, I didn‚??t do it!"

"He cares about me!!"

Right! I thought it was great because he said what he said and it was so honest and it was so raw and he didn‚??t have some big speech and he didn‚??t use twenty-five cent words. And everybody knew what he was talking about, and I know it hit home for at least some people, me included where it was just like [slow clap] "That motherfucker just said that!" And he didn‚??t plan anything, he was just like "Now‚??s the time, I‚??ve gotta say it." And he said it. It was fucking great. Now the Pepsi commercial that he did, that was stupid. It‚??s just him walking around with a Pepsi, it‚??s like "Where‚??s the politics!"

How did this free show get set up?

She [points to some girl] called me. No, she called Matt (Krupanski). No, yeah, she emailed me. Oh, whatever! It was only two weeks ago though. It was like hey, let‚??s play a show. Okay! Yeah, she called Matt.

We were actually gonna do the intro as a sample in the beginning, but we forgot our sample thing. But on the next U.S. tour, that will be the opening sample, into "Walk Astray" more than likely.

Speaking of which, Chad‚??s vocals on this album complement you so well. He did an awesome fucking job. Like, high five dude. You can tell him I said that.

You know, we really worked off of each other in the studio this time and really, I‚??d go in and hit the buttons for him and he‚??d do it for me and because some of it was recorded in our studio and some was recorded in a friend‚??s studio, and I‚??d go in and be like "You sound like a pussy, do it again" and he‚??d do the same thing to me: "That had no emotion whatsoever, do it again you fucking asshole!" It was cool.

It always impressed me how Chad--

Yo, Chad! [yells across the room] I didn‚??t realize your dick was that long, they‚??re over here sucking it. They‚??re telling me how awesome of a job you did singing on this album and how amazing your backups are amazing on this one. [uproarious laughter]

Chad: Hey, thanks! I appreciate it! It‚??s getting bigger‚?¶[more laughter, I slap myself in the face pretending to get hit in the face by a penis, whatever]

Are you guys ever going to record "White Flag of Desire"?

We are actually going to put it out, sort of, but on a Japan-only release, so you‚??d have to get it through import. The Japanese wanted like three extra songs on the album so we put some stuff that didn‚??t make the album on it. It‚??s all stuff that we probably will never play, and we actually used part of "White Flag" in "A Far Cry," the "surrender" part. But that will be on the Japanese release with another song called "I Could Be Wrong" and something else. "Dear George" should also be on there, but "The Plague" and "Phone Call 4 AM" were only for the website.

I noticed on your website you guys are asking for input from the fans for the set lists. How important is it to stay in touch with your fans through the medium of the internet?

That‚??s all Josh (Latshaw). It‚??s only as important as, you know, we‚??re just trying to make some money off these bitches.

[apparently I make a sad, puzzled face at this moment]

No I‚??m just kidding!!! [much laughter] Your eyes were like saucers! That was amazing!

Thank you, have a great performance! [pretending to get up and leave] And‚?¶we‚??re done!

Your face totally dropped a little [still laughing]. I should have kept going for a little. I mean, it‚??s very important. I mean, we wouldn‚??t be here without the fans, but it‚??s also important to keep our own individuality and what we want, because it‚??s our band, motherfuckers! Of course we listen to constructive criticism, but not to the extent where it takes away our own thing. So yeah, we try our hardest to keep in touch and be a part of our fan‚??s lives. I don‚??t go scrub their backs or anything in the bathroom, but, I want to! Every single one of you! I wanna scrub your backs!

He‚??s scrubbing mine right now! IT FEELS GREAT! [laughs all around]

Get us a little soap back here!

How about MySpace?

You know, it‚??s‚?¶whatever. There‚??s a little drama that goes on with shit on that, but that happens in any weird little dumb thing. It‚??s cool, it‚??s whatever. It‚??s helping us out, so I can‚??t complain.

Are we ever going to see half-naked shots at awkward angles in the bathroom mirror of Josh?

I hope so!! Everybody wants naked Josh pictures. He‚??s a sexy beast. And it doesn‚??t hurt that he‚??s got a thirteen-inch dick. He gets a hard on and passes out! Remember when I said that people don‚??t expect certain things? This is great! "They‚??re such a serious political band." Yo, Josh has a big dick! [still laughing]

I remember first reading your band‚??s new bio and just being in stitches the whole time.

In 2001 or 2002, you guys went on tour with Thursday and Rise Against. Did you ever think that all three of you guys would end up on majors in the future?

Nope. Didn‚??t expect that, didn‚??t expect they‚??d make it bigger than us! No, just kidding. It‚??s awesome; I‚??m proud of them. It used to be we would take them on tour, and now they can help us out!

At a time where music downloading and album sales are down, how important is it to have an intense and passionate live show like your own? How important is it for you guys to go out there and play as well as you do?

I don‚??t know if it‚??s important, but it‚??s the only way we know how to do it. I wouldn‚??t know how else to do it.

Everybody wants naked Josh pictures. He‚??s a sexy beast. And it doesn‚??t hurt that he‚??s got a thirteen-inch dick. He gets a hard on and passes out! Remember when I said that people don‚??t expect certain things? This is great! "They‚??re such a serious political band."

Have you recently seen the state of your old label, Victory Records?

Everybody asks us this question and I don‚??t know why! I mean, we have no ties to them, so it doesn‚??t matter what they‚??re doing. Whatever they‚??re doing, good for them.

If there was one thing you guys could do differently over the course of your career, what would it be?

I would have skipped the Wind-Up thing and gone right to Equal Vision. But, that‚??s said without malice to Wind-Up, it was just that they weren‚??t good for us and we weren‚??t good for them. It just wasn‚??t right. It was just better that we separated. Sort of like my ex-wife, it was just better that way.

What were, in your opinion, the three best albums of 2005?

Oof. I‚??m trying to think what was released in 2005. Well, I‚??m gonna say some of the newer albums that I‚??ve heard in 2005, but I don‚??t know if they were really from 2005. But that fucking Bars record on Equal Vision was fucking hot. Like, I spent a lot of time listening to shit like Black Flag before that record came out and then it was like "Shit, that‚??s the new Black Flag." That album is fucking brilliant. It fucking blows me away. That‚??s one. Two‚?¶I really wanna like the new Propagandhi album. I wanna really like it.

I think everyone really wants to like the new Propagandhi album.

It‚??s just sorta boring. It‚??s like they wrote this cool speech and then put music to it. And then there are parts where it‚??s like "This is the best part ever!" and then it‚??s over. Damnit! Um‚?¶I‚??m still on one, then. Oh! You know what's a fucking awesome album? I can‚??t believe I didn‚??t think of this. Fucking Tegan and Sara [laughs]. I mean, have you ever heard ear candy like that? It just like fucking floored me. Seriously, not only was it awesome, but I wanna make out with them. I don‚??t even know what they look like! I wanna make out with their voices! It‚??s adorable!

I never would have expected that.

The first time [the Steelers] won a Super Bowl, I was fucking seven years old. I remember it was the first time the Patriots went to the Super Bowl, after the Raiders game when they beat the Raiders in the Snow Bowl and the Raiders should have won because that was a bullshit call, but anyway, the Patriots went on to beat the Steelers and I was in the fetal position at Josh‚??s house. I was screaming

Fucking awesome. And you know what‚??s weird? The album before it sucked! It sounds like really bad Ani DiFranco. But this album blew me away! You gotta be kidding me, it‚??s fucking amazing! I‚??m gonna go for one more‚?¶there‚??s this band called I Am Kloot. I don‚??t know if it‚??s a band or just one guy, but the album is called Gods and Monsters. Amazing album. It‚??s really good indie rock. Wait, do I have one more? Let me have one more. You know what‚??s one of my guilty pleasures besides Randy Travis, because anything Randy Travis does is fucking gold because he‚??s got a voice that, fucking‚?¶I wanna make out with him! Jesus Christ, that fucking voice! But‚?¶No Warning, that shit is fucking good. It‚??s the best tough guy hardcore, like Cro-Mags type shit. It fucking kills me when I listen to it, it makes me wanna fucking fight!

How do you sell the new album to someone that has heard your band and that hasn‚??t heard your band?

You put it in the stores and then‚?¶you don‚??t know how this works? People come in and they pay money, have you taken economics, man? No, but‚?¶I‚??d just say "Yo, listen to this shit. This shit is the bomb. Word." And then I‚??d throw up my gang sign. Done deal. It sounds like Snoop Dogg and shit. Buy it. Honestly, I don‚??t know.

And we end on this‚?¶who wins the Super Bowl?!

Steelers, 24-17! Guaranteed! I‚??ve been a Steelers fan all my fucking life. I love that team. Dude, let me tell you, the last time the Steelers made it into the Super Bowl, I was 23 years old, and it was crippling. Fucking Neil O‚??Donnell. My fucking God. And then we traded him for fucking Kordell Stewart! Oh God! Can it get worse? Tommy Maddox, OH GOD!!! It kept getting worse until we got Ben Roethlisberger. Do NOT get me started on football because I‚??m gonna keep going. The first time they won a Super Bowl, I was fucking seven years old. I remember it was the first time the Patriots went to the Super Bowl, after the Raiders game when they beat the Raiders in the Snow Bowl and the Raiders should have won because that was a bullshit call, but anyway, the Patriots went on to beat the Steelers and I was in the fetal position at Josh‚??s house. I was screaming. I was so pissed off, and every fucking year the fucking Patriots kick us out of the playoffs. And dude, when I saw Denver beat the Patriots, I started crying, it was amazing.

I think we‚??re done! I‚??m gonna post this shit on ESPN!

Editor's Note - This interview was done before the Superbowl. Precongnizant Nathan Grey may be.

I shall summarize.
He says "fuck" a lot
He realizes ATE was their best album, and Misery Index is going to be more of that one, less of TCT
Outside of their songs, they are goofy and make jokes like any other human being.
He feels exactly the same way the rest of us do about the new Propagandhi cd.

"but [TCT] got destroyed by Jay Baumgardner, and fuck that motherfucker."
Haha, good to see he is realistic about his music. Also kind of surprised about one comment early on, isn't Nathan gay? Maybe I missed the joke behind the "fuck us in the butt" comment.
Great interview, thanks.

These guys are okay people (or so I gather from this interview), but I'll never listen to them because of that fat dude with the goatee thing.
"Well, how do you do? My name's Lars and I'm from Campbell, Ca, but you might know that by now."
-Will

No one loves fat kids with goatees. Young men with the hip look like me, on the other hand... Well, let's just say, my social life isn't a no-man's land.
Maybe you should just shave your soul patch, though. And start wearing a scarf or something. Maybe a vintage vest. Fat kids look cool in stupid shit.
-Will

no, hes completly right about it. it DOES sound like they just wrote a speech and there are some amazing parts but they go by too quickly. Its not nearly as fun and empowering to listen to as How to Clean Everything or Less Talk, More Rock.

aw man!! the end was cut off, but that's ok. in case anyone cares, here's the rest (tons more sports shit):
How about the Indy game! When Jerome fumbled that shit!! I had a baby!
Dude, seriously, my heart stopped at that point and did not start back up until Vanderjagt hooked that kick. Seriously man, I pressed nine-one and was waiting to hit the second one. And actually, some Steelers fan actually had a heart attack! Because it was like in the beginning I was like we got this, and then it was like‚?¶oh no. That fucking Polamalu interception! What happens if we lose because of that? We gonna redo the game? Apparently the ref got some rocks through his window. And what‚??s funny is that for the Super Bowl, because of all the bad calls in the playoffs, they named all the referees because they usually keep them pretty anonymous. Maybe just to tell them look, everyone knows who you are, don‚??t make a bad call. But I‚??m fucking stoked.
Any money on it?
No, you know, I never bet on football because I stress out enough. If I put money on it, I‚??ll shit myself. I‚??ll die. But I don‚??t do all the fantasy football and baseball and stuff like that. I love the Steelers, I love football. I‚??ll watch the Celtics but honestly, they‚??re the most disappointing team‚?¶ever. Even when they do awesome, it‚??s not till the playoffs and it‚??s like‚?¶fuck it. Actually I‚??ve been watching the Pistons, and they‚??ve been going pretty good. See? I‚??m getting into other sports now. But the main thing is the Steelers. Could you imagine if the last thing Bettis does is fumble? Oh, God. He‚??s gonna be ‚??The Fumble‚?Ě. If Ben doesn‚??t grab that motherfucker‚??s ankle‚?¶! But we‚??re all football fans, I‚??m a Steelers fan, Chad‚??s a Denver fan, Josh is a Dallas fan (rough one there), a Jet fan‚?¶and Robert is a temporary Packers fan. He‚??s more of a European football guy‚?¶soccer. He cares more about that kind of thing. He‚??s German, no accounting for taste. Who the fuck cares about soccer? Most boring fucking thing in my entire life. Here we go, I‚??m gonna get beat up by soccer players now. But we get really intense.
Rob: American football means nothing to me!
N: That‚??s what we were just talking about! I was stoked that we worked Jake Plummer like a little bitch. We had him all but bent over and spanking him. Polamalu was just wrecking his shit.
Does Shawn Alexander scare you?
No. I mean, it‚??s a worry, because let‚??s face it, the dude‚??s fucking awesome. The thing that I do like is that it‚??s their first Super Bowl, so I‚??m hoping for some jitters. I was scared of the Panthers actually, but they didn‚??t fucking show up. And that Giants game‚?¶Ben from From Autumn To Ashes is a big Giants fan, and I just called him and was like‚?¶you need a hug. Eli Manning looked like fucking bullshit. He‚??s not like Ben. Ben has his bad year, but this year he is fucking on.
Even last year in that Jets game, he just showed poise, man.
Well I will concede that the Jets beat themselves in that game. We did not deserve to win that game. But your field goal kicker, what the fuck we he doing? Miss! Miss! Miss!! What the fuck is going on? But I‚??m not afraid of Shawn, because I know that‚??s their (the Steelers) main concern, but they also gotta watch for the throwing. But I‚??m just hoping for the jitters. We‚??ll see what happens. Also! I don‚??t think Hasselbeck is going to be able to compete with Porter and Polamalu. And I love the shit-talking!! It started off all cool and then someone on the Seahawks was like ‚??Yeah, it‚??s cool about Bettis‚?¶too bad he isn‚??t gonna take home the trophy‚?Ě and Porter went ballistic. Fuck it, bring me the camera! It was awesome.
What‚??s the trick play this week?
Oh man! That one was fucking incredible! I don‚??t know, but I would love to see another Bettis throw to Cedric Wilson. That‚??d be cool. Or Hines Ward. Or another like the other one, with Randle El. I made the comment, what the fuck is Randle El doi‚?¶oh my God!! They did it! I love the trick plays, it makes it so exciting!
I think we‚??re done! I‚??m gonna post this shit on ESPN!
Thank you so much!!!

my assessment of the new LTJ songs that were leaked this morning -
"A Still Life Franchise" is one of the best songs LTJ has recorded in years. Its also probably their most ska sounding song they've written in the last 8 years.
The ballad, "The Rest Of My Life" is really good.
The other two songs are just bleh. I hope more of the album sounds like A Still Life Franchise

These songs were leaked on either Thursday or Friday and they're all awful.
Seriously, it's like they took the most god awful songs from Borders and Boundaries and Anthem, threw them into a blender and produce these shitty songs.

ive been listening to "how to clean" daily lately. im kinda taking a break from "potemkin", since its pretty much all ive listened to since it came out. i cant believe its been nearly 4 months already.

yes, you're right. but you know what?
it's america.
thus, the employees can sue. they have rights and they can go to lawyers or form a union.
versus the other companies that exploit children in foreign lands for minimum wages.
as much as the sex thing sucks, it is nothing compared to those without the ability to fight back against the system.

New Propaghandi is boring?
Talk about people in glass houses throwing stones. And blaming other people for your songs sucking shit is low. Face it, man, you tried to break big and failed in the worst possible way.
Someday, maybe 5 or 10 years from now, Potemkin City Limits will get its due respect. Mark these words. It is has truly not been properly understood.

I hate sites that let you post without registering. No accountability for what you said.

In any case, I love Potemkin City Limits. Was it a perfect album? No. But the best songs on it were GREAT FUCKING SONGS. And the worst songs on it were still good songs. So, I disagree with Nathan on this.

However, I also think that The Misery Index is awesome. This album brings to mind an amalgamation of The Day the Sun Went Out and After the Eulogy. I don't understand how a person who calls themself a boysetsfire fan could say that this album "sucks".

Finally, with regard to Tomorrow Come Today: I don't think that BSF was trying "to break big and failed in the worst possible way". At the time, I'm sure, the opportunity seemed right. Signing with Wind-Up would make sure that they could eat every week and afford to pay rent. But you don't have to worry about that when you're 16 and living with your parents, do you?

As for the sound of the record, Nathan is not blaming the producer for the SONGS on the record, only the guitar tones. BSF songs are BSF songs. I agree with Nathan when he says that if the songs were recorded differently, they would've been better. I still like the songs; I still like the album.

Yes, of course you knew it, because BSF calling Propagandhi boring is the proverbial pot calling the kettle black.
PCL is a very good record. Not their best, but still leaps and bounds better than about 95% of what we are being told is "amazing" music coming out these days.

FUCK YES!! he responds to propagandhis diss!!!! hell yeah, this is fucking awesome. i love nofx. i just cant stop smiling holy shit i'm gonna see them on the march 5th this is gonna rule so hard!!! fuck yes! nofx is the best band in the world bitches!!!!

He makes one comment about propagandhi, but I wouldn't really classify it as some sort of hip-hop-feud-esque retort to the song on potemkin city limits...
He says, "still waiting to see if my bid on ebay was enough to get todays empires tomorrows ashes on soviet red vinyl".
That's all.

i'm going to buy it asshole. i always buy all of my music.
its just that nofx is one of my top favorite bands, and i'm really anxious to hear it.
and correct me if i'm wrong, sir, but haven't you heard a few of the new Larry Arms songs?

nah, i was just being a douchebag and sayin new larry sucked to get reactions since everyone here sucks their cock. anyways, doesn't downloading the album ruin the fun in waiting for it. it would for me.

i'm gonna buy it retard, i can guarantee you my cd collection is bigger than yours (my record collection, however, needs work (i just got a record player for christmas) so i'm gonna get it on vinyl). i'm NOT gonna download the album because i will wait for that with building anticipation. but this is just a teaser ep, why not begin the tease earlier?

Yeah, I'd like to hear Nofx even attempt to diss Propagandhi.
I think some people just need to admit their shit or maybe agree to disagree, but calling punks "hippies" just because they care about more than the democratic cause is so stupid.
-Will

wha??!?!? they dont diss them by calling them hippies (look at the cover for the explanation of the title). they just call out them and rage against the machine who are sooo anti-capitalist but thrive due to capitalism.

And how do Prop "thrive" because of capitalism? Not all consumerism is inherently capitalist, for one, and I'd like to see the stacks of bills Prop get merely from royalties and the meager amount of shows they play.
Honestly, idiocy.
-Will

you know, i didnt think much of the new propagandhi for a while. but i realized i listen to it like all the time. seriously, like all the time. its probably my favorite record of 05 and its pretty fuckin awesome, i dont see why everybodys got somethin against it. they were better with john i agree but who cares, theyre still pretty righteous.
bsf's ok too, i heard tct and it kinda sucked pretty bad. but i guess they agree on that too

You never got that?
Its a question.
You ask someone Head, Chest or Foot?
If they said head, you headbutt them. If they say chest you punch em in the guts. If they say foot you step on their foot....
Pretty childish eh?

i love the part in stick the fucking flag up your fucking ass you goddam son of a bitch where he goes "well if this country, is so god damn free, then i can burn your fucking flag wherever i damn well please. thats cool. i think it was in that song.

this question is pretty much impossible to answer (same when asked whats the best BR song) but im gonna go with, "hate, myth, muscle, etiquette"
we all need a kick in the assssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

anyone know a good place to look for cheap used skateboards? i am drawing a blank, and most of the stuff on ebay seems to be new or shit.
or if you know a good keyword to search or a good brand of decks to search. i am old and out of the loop and recently busted my skateboard and looking for a replacement
- jones the bones
- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

you mean you never wore a sXe shirt for sheer iorny? i know its kind of disrespectful but anyone who takes themselves that seriously definatley deserves to be made fun of a little. and yes, militant straightedge people are part of that. sXe gear is just as obnoxious as those dumb shirts advocating beer and pot. do what you want, keep yourself from ODing and falling over in public and dont kick ciggarette packs in the pit, those are expensive

hey..
this is nathan from boy sets fire. i am amazed at how many people are offended by my opinion. i didnt say they are boring people, or say anything about fucking their mothers. christ...sorry i dont like the cd. i'm allowed.
xoxo

fyi this is definitely nathan as i just gave him the heads up about the interview just now
man i should have given you the heads up about the comment! but we will be laughing about it in philly..
you are truly THE MANNNNN

hahahahahahahah
shows what you know, hombre
when you engage in something that can be considered business, it really isn't the crime you say it is to stay in touch with them (and the label) and work out details of shit, and, you know, be friendly and somewhat professional
also, not too sure when it became uncool to get psyched about your favorite band
because if it is, then slap me and call me todd kowalski

If an interview with my band got this type of negative shit, I would too. FUCK YOU, all you teenage momma's boys-and-girls trying to act like you're old school. Stick around for a while before you start talking shit... cause as of yet, you don't know JACK FUCKING SQUAT about emo, punk, or hardcore. So fuck off. Let the adults discuss business here while you go jerk each other off.

Typical band interview affair.
Dodge the good questions with a plead of ignorance. Shit talk a band 10x better and talk about how excited you are about being on MTV.
I hope you make lot's of money some day so you don't have to eat peanut butter.
Boysetsfire are just people like everyone else, they want to make a buck at what they love. I hope "political" music returns underground where it belongs some day, so all the bands looking to make a career out of music can do it without being a sad walking contradiction.

i cant believe you people actually read all that and even got to the propa G part. i got to child molestation and decided fuck this shit, i'm gonna go call some people fags
- jones the bones
- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

I think nate's a little jealous (not really jealous, cmon kids, this is the intraweb) Propagandhi's sense of humor has been recognized more than his. Lyrically, Potemkin City limits, and all the prop lyrics are much more complex, both in terms of the supposed persona of the speaker of the song changing, the sheer poetry into hilarious satire variety. That, and Prop is fucking pissed.
I mean, this point in US history, I really don't know how I feel about 'were the huggable drink a beer political band!', but im sure nate's intention is in the right place.
Wait, think about this.
Dillinger 4
Propagandhi
Split EP.
The two best bands from their respective countries. The Northern Hemisphere would never be the same.
Prop and dillinger are probably the only bands to really successfully mix politics with a sense of humor and get away with it with utter sincerity. Well, contemporary bands anyhow.
I do like the new boy sets fire, its not groundbreaking, or even that memorable, but it'll grow on me, I like that they didn't regress.
wyzo

"Prop and dillinger are probably the only bands to really successfully mix politics with a sense of humor and get away with it with utter sincerity. Well, contemporary bands anyhow."
now that is the fucking truth. .

My roommate put Jimmy Kimmel on as background noise, and Freddie Prinze Jr. is on. He fucking mentioned going to see X, and then mentioned Exene. I'm not sure this is entirely justified, but that depresses me immensely that a shithead terrible actor like him likes any punk at all.

Not as bad as alicia silverstone wearing a blood brothers shirt 4 years ago. After all he probably just heard some random X song in some alternative rock radio station and decided it would be creddy to drop them in media.

Whether or not you like Propagandhi, a band who signed to the singer from fucking Creed's label and put out a true piece of shit record -- that even they admit was shit -- cannot expect his opinion on other bands to be taken seriously. Period.
Creed's label! What complete idiots.

Man its so easy when you dont have a band, arent touring around having to steal just to eat, getting stranded in some redneck town with no gas, from behind your keyboards to say 'I'd never sign to a major label' isnt it? Fuck you guys, The Clash & Rage Against The Machine were on major labels too, and it didnt make them any less influential.

Cockhead, you might make a few dollars with your pop group, but there's no chance you'll be remembered the way Propagandhi will, boring my ass, just cos the keep it real . And fuck you Dan Perrone for saying you tried to like Potemkin City Limits, you'd probably praise it if you were interviewing them, which you probably won't. The cool thing about Prop is that even if one of them read it, they wouldn't be bothered it as they couldn't give a fuck anyway.

you are probably right. its just my opinion. whether you think it sucks or not, thats all it is.i thought their other albums were better. especially less talk, more rock. just cant get in to the new one even though i keep trying. try not to take it personally, and make an ass of yourself by personally attacking me for something so trivial.
-nathan-

So you guys are going to be on the smartpunk stage at Warped? I checked the lineup and didn't recognize any bands, is this like a band battle or something for up and comers??
ps try and put as many albums of B-sides and re-issues as you can, they wouldn't be seen as easy cash grabs, so cut loose dude!! Ching Ching!

man.. you caught me. thought i had pulled the wool over your eyes, but you caught me. good on ya. good to see there are vigilant sellout police like yourself keeping me in check. come on...chill the fuck out. what the hell is your problem?
-nathan-

Boys night out is fucking horrible...anyone with ears can tell that, where YSC actually has talent and stays true to themselves as well as their music....
Fuck boys night out, fuck them in there stupid ass'
-mike v

thinking to simply. when a band goes and does a show, especially when they are going through the problems we were at the time, just driving there and back are not the only factors. like i said, we declined at the time, but said we would be more then happy to do it at a different date for nothing, or just gas money. we were never asked, just rumors went flying. looking back, i think we may have asked for more like 200 then 5. either way though we didnt want to take any money, so we declined and said we would do it when we were not so needy.
-nathan-

I've been in a somewhat successful and shitty band, just like you so yes I do know what goes on when a band has to do a show. Still 200 in 96 seems ridiculous, but I don't know about whatever problems were going on and I don't think you elaborated on them. I just don't understand if they were such a problem why you would even mention a price.